Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.
Matthew 21:43
A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said,” Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.
The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “You have seen Hell.”
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “You have seen Hell.”
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The holy man said, “I don’t understand”.” It is simple said the Lord, “it requires only one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. "
We will not bring fruit to this world by ourselves. The call of the spiritual life is community. We will each have our individual experiences, but our path on this earth is meant to be walked together. We don't have to carry our challenges alone, we don't have to celebrate our joys alone. We have been brought together as the people of God to invite others to join us in the journey.
Today, let us seek to find how many of the "I"s of our lives can be turned into "We"s.
Prayer: God of wisdom, we give you thanks for the gift of community. Help us this day to discover ways we can contribute to our community, ways we can join with another, ways we can together spread your bountiful love. God, help us to learn to feed each other.
Today, let us seek to find how many of the "I"s of our lives can be turned into "We"s.
Prayer: God of wisdom, we give you thanks for the gift of community. Help us this day to discover ways we can contribute to our community, ways we can join with another, ways we can together spread your bountiful love. God, help us to learn to feed each other.
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